It is well known that animals negatively react to veterinary visits. The potential pain and discomfort associated with a veterinary visit may trigger various levels of anxiety reactions by the animal. Even if an animal is not required to undergo a painful veterinary procedure, the veterinary office environment may still trigger a negative reaction by the animal which makes it more difficult for the veterinary professional to conduct even brief and simple health evaluations.
In some cases, the negative animal reactions can be significant enough that it prevents veterinary professional from effectively conducting the evaluation or procedure, and this interference degrades the quality of the veterinary visit. High anxiety reactions by an animal can also jeopardize the safety of the animal, the animal's owner who may be present and attending veterinary professionals.
It is common practice for a veterinary professional to provide an edible treat to the animal which may briefly distract the animal, but administering this treat may only provide a slight and temporary reduction in animal anxiety or distraction resulting in the animal quickly returning to its high anxiety state.
Considering the inherent problems associated with animal anxiety and veterinary visits, there is a need for a method that may substantially reduce animal anxiety associated with veterinary visits, and the method being one that is effective despite the differences associated with individual animals and their response to the unfamiliar environment of a veterinary office.